These Two Fan Favorite ‘Stranger Things’ Characters Were Supposed to Die in Season 1

Stranger Things fans may still be traumatized from the emotional death of Joyce Byers' well-meaning boyfriend, Bob, in Season 2, but things could be a whole lot worse for diehard viewers of the hit Netflix show.

According to a newly released companion book for the series, Stranger Things: World Turned Upside Down, showrunners The Duffer Brothers reveal that not one, but two fan favorite characters were actually meant to get the axe in Season 1. Yikes.

So, just who was supposed to kick the proverbial bucket two years ago?

Millie Bobby Brown's beloved Eleven, one of the show's most badass (and central) heroes, as well as Joe Keery's Steve, the high school jerk-turned-lovable-fan-fave character, were originally going to be killed off during the series' first season released back in July 2016.

According to Esquire, the new book details how the success of the show, as well as the exceptional performances of both Brown and Keery, (thankfully) made the Duffers change their minds.

"Eleven was going to sacrifice herself to save the day," Ross Duffer revealed. “That was always the end game. But once we realized that the show was potentially going to go on longer than one season, we needed to leave it more up in the air, because deep down we knew the show just wouldn’t really work without Eleven."

"And at that point, we knew how special Millie was. If there was going to be more Stranger Things, Eleven had to come back," he continued.

Steve, meanwhile, was initially going to act somewhat like a villainous boyfriend who would die during Season 1, but Keery's performance and popularity on set ultimately changed his character's fate.

As for Season 3, likely set to premiere summer 2019, not much is yet known about the forthcoming next installment of Netflix's spooky-nostalgic show about a group of '80s kids tormented by otherworldly beasts. What we do know, however, is that Season 2 villain the Mind Flayer will return, and Hawkins will have a new haunt for Mike, Dustin, Eleven, Nancy, Steve, Lucas, Will and co. to hang out at: the Starcourt Mall!